Ezekiel 28:19, commentary and pictures

The verse is addressed to Lucifer himself, the fallen covering cherub who so fully controlled the government of Tyre that he is spoken to as its real king, while also setting forth God's dealings with fallen angels and fallen men in general. Before his fall he stood next in power and majesty to Christ, the light-bearer sealing up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, set upon the holy mountain of God and perfect from his creation till iniquity was found in him. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty and brightness until he corrupted his wisdom, defiled his sanctuaries by pride and by the iniquity of traffic, and was therefore cast to the ground, laid before kings, and devoured by fire brought forth from his own midst until brought to ashes upon the earth. All who know him shall be astonished and appalled at him, for he becomes a terror and then ceases to exist forever, his kingdom ending in public ruin witnessed by the universe after sin's nature and results have been fully seen. His utter extermination to never be any more disproves the doctrine of eternal torment which he himself originated, vindicates God's love and law as the universe is left eternally secure, and warns the living not to be deceived by his remaining perverted wisdom and beauty as an angel of light but to walk in all the light given and press together against him.

The Cherub's Identity and Doom

The one addressed is Lucifer, the fallen angel and anointed covering cherub, set forth as the actual king of Tyre because he fully controlled that government and worked through human rulers and nations as his agents. The prophecy refers primarily to him, yet it also describes a general movement that will be witnessed and shows God's dealings with fallen angels and fallen people. His end is final: those who knew him will be astonished, he will become a terror, and he will cease to exist, which is both the destruction of Lucifer and the end of the movement represented in the chapter.

Before his fall he was the light-bearer, the sharer of God's glory in heaven, next to Jesus in power and majesty. He seals up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, was in Eden the garden of God with every precious stone for a covering, was set as the anointed cherub that covers upon the holy mountain of God, walking among the stones of fire, and was perfect from creation till iniquity was found in him. He was a very intellectual being occupying a high position among the angelic throng, the great apostate afterward cast out of the courts of God.

His heart was lifted up because of his beauty and he corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness, separating himself from God. He defiled his sanctuaries by the multitude of iniquities and by the iniquity of traffic, and this pride and corruption of wisdom and of God-given gifts caused his ruin and ends in public ruin. This fate follows his pride in his beauty and corruption of his wisdom and comes after he is cast down and reduced to ashes.

He is cast to the ground and laid before kings, and fire is brought forth from the midst of him to devour him. He is brought to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all beholders, destroyed by fire and reduced to ashes on earth after his created perfection, pride and sin. For that pride God casts him to the ground before kings and brings him to ashes upon the earth in sight of all beholders.

All among the people who know him are astonished and appalled at him, seeing his ruin and regarding him with terror. He becomes a terror and never exists any more but ceases to exist forever, completing the account of his fall in which the one created perfect is ultimately brought to ashes and is no more. His disgrace and ruin are public, his schemes fail, his kingdom ends in destruction, and his former place and power are gone forever.

Final Eradication of Evil

His destruction is complete and final, brought to ashes upon the earth to never exist again. The universe witnesses that end after it has witnessed the nature and results of sin, and the outcome was made certain through Christ's death.

Fire coming down from God out of heaven executes the sentence after his power comes to an end and the wicked turn against him. He suffers not only for his own rebellion but for all the sins he caused God's people to commit, so his punishment is far greater than that of those he deceived. After all who fell by his deceptions have perished he still lives and suffers on, until in the cleansing flames he with his followers is destroyed as root with branches, he the root and his followers the branches, with the full penalty of the law visited and his work of ruin forever ended.

That extermination vindicates God's love and law and delivers His people, with sin and sinners perishing, Satan and all who joined him in rebellion cut off, and the wicked no more. It is not arbitrary power, for rejecters of mercy reap what they have sown, since God is the fountain of life and choosing sin separates from God and cuts off from life, so that by rebellion they place themselves out of harmony that His very presence, the glory of Him who is love, is to them a consuming fire that destroys them. By this His law is shown perfect and immutable, the nature of sin and his character are manifested, and the universe is left eternally secure. He is forever banished from God and His people and finally blotted from existence when sin and sinners are destroyed, as represented by the scapegoat sent away never to return to the congregation of Israel, bearing the final penalty after Christ places upon him the sins of the truly penitent.

Present Deception and Warning

The verse itself overturns the doctrine of eternal torment as the punishment for sin, for it declares of its subject that he will become a terror and never exist any more. He is the originator of that false doctrine, and by it he ascribes to God all the evils to which flesh is heir and pictures God as delighting in the sufferings of His creatures and as revengeful and implacable. His purpose in it is to lead men into infidelity and rebellion, to distract souls, and to dethrone human reason.

Though doomed to become a terror and never to be any more, he still retains perverted greatness, power, wisdom and beauty, which he uses to impart enchanting sentiments to men whenever it suits his purpose. He comes as an angel of light, disguising his temptations under an appearance of goodness and making men believe him to be the friend rather than the enemy of humanity, just as he came to Christ with quotations of Scripture to overthrow Him, and in this way he has deceived and seduced the race with subtle temptations and specious deceptions. He inspires his agents with thoughts that appear elevating and noble, and as the fallen leader he leads all who present doctrine contrary to the Bible, enabling supposedly wise men of earth to fabricate bewitching theories that infatuate minds and exalt men with honor above God. This explains why the writings of pagans and infidels contain thoughts of an elevated character that are attractive to the mind, for precious gems of thought given by God are retained and placed in a framework of error to give luster to human sentiments and to make attractive the utterances inspired by the prince of evil. He is the power behind strange spirits who can disguise themselves and bring confusion. With his expelled angels he still works to divert minds from the special light and the saving of perishing souls to unessential jots and tittles, watching every movement and filling openings in disguise with satanic agencies to magnify supposed objectionable features and little differences of opinion that are not a testing question until they become enlarged and prominent, bringing confusion into the ranks and among believers and unbelievers and hindering the advancement of the work. His own self-exaltation becomes a pattern by which he can influence unconverted people to oppose God and persecute others, and history repeats this pattern.

As the enemy he cast a gloomy shadow between man and God and enveloped the world in ignorance and moral darkness and gloom through accumulated misrepresentations. He so deceived men that they worshiped a false god clothed with the attributes of the satanic character. Men in ignorance and moral darkness therefore needed spiritual light and a divine Instructor to reveal God to their understanding, and the Lord Jesus alone as the light of the world could by His presence roll back the clouds and dissipate the shadow.

The chapter warns against being deceived and calls those seeking truth to walk in all the light God has given. That deceptive work is defeated by burying every difference, pressing together, and keeping silence on unimportant questions. The enemy of all good was a very intellectual being who occupied a high position among the angelic throng before he finally became a rebel, proving that knowledge alone in his hands can be a power to destroy those who hold it, and many minds of superior intellectual attainments are now being led captive by his power. Therefore youth must seek the sanctified knowledge which God imparts, which is of the right quality, ennobles and elevates the soul, makes them partakers of the divine nature through connection with Christ, gives power to resist Satan, and tells to God's glory.